As we age
by Demented Insane Spirit
Summary: When Susie moves away, Calvin begins to realize all that life has to offer him...and what he may lose. One shot.


DIS: Childhood is such a precious time in one's life.

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_Title: As we age_

_Rating: K_

_Genre: Drama_

_Summary: When Susie moves away, Calvin begins to realize all that life has to offer him...and what he may lose. One shot._

_Disclaimer: Nope, I do not own this wonderful comic._

_Notes/Warnings: One shot; first attempt at this fandom_

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_As we age_

Even at the age of nine, Calvin kept to himself and his tiger. He could feel the curious gazes of his parents as he caused less and less trouble and although he had never noticed it before, he was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with him. He reflected on that as he sat on a bench in the playground alone. He never got out of class to get to the swings fast enough, which was normal. Something was changing about him, though...He could feel it, just as his parents could sense it.

"Hi, Calvin." He glanced up at Susie and scowled.

"Ugh, what do _you_ want?" His mind scrambled for an insult to add to the end, but it came up with nothing. Sulking and irritated with himself for being less scathing, he propped his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his the palms of his hands, his mouth turned down unhappily. Susie watched this with a small smile playing at the ends of her mouth.

"Can I sit with you for a minute?" He grunted dismissively. She settled beside him and sat there silently for a moment before saying, "You know, no one else really likes you because you're such a jerk." He stiffened in outrage and snapped upright to begin a long rant, but she continued, "But I like you." She smiled and abruptly hugged him.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" He screeched, looking around with mortification. "You can't be doing that! Are you crazy or something?" When he tried to push her away, she held tighter and he could feel his face turning blood red. Embarrassed, his eyes darted around the playground again, but nobody seemed to realize that he was being suffocated by his neighbor. With a huff, he dropped his arms, uncertain of what to do.

"...I'm moving."

"Well, good! Someone's going to notice us eventually." She released him and sat up, a watery smile lifting her lips upward. He stared, baffled at why she was crying. "What did I say? I didn't call you any names!"

"Calvin, I'm moving into a different _state_. We won't be neighbors anymore..." He blinked, staring at her wordlessly. He didn't quite comprehend what she was telling him.

"What are you talking about, you stupid girl? You're not moving." Susie lowered her gaze, swinging her legs a bit. He watched her and realized that the dejected expression on her face wasn't feigned. "...Oh. You and your mom really are moving."

"Yeah. I know you don't really like me, but I thought maybe you should know anyway. I guess you won't have anyone to throw snowballs at this winter or water balloons during the summer." She raised her eyes and laughed weakly. "It's kinda late notice, I guess. We're leaving this weekend." She stood up while Calvin continued to look to her in utter confusion, a lost expression on his face. "Well...um..."

"I never said I didn't like you," was all he told her. She beamed at him and then hugged him again, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thanks, Calvin." She skipped off while he sat on the bench, having trouble absorbing everything that had happened in that small interval of time.

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"Hobbes?" Calvin called into his room when he came home. Usually, he was attacked at the door. Lately, it hadn't been so much of an attack as a half-attempted swat at his head. "Hobbes...?" His tiger was settled on his bed next to his window. The feline turned to him, seeming older than he really was. Alarmed, he dropped his things and ran to the bed. "Hobbes, what happened to you? You look awful."

The feline looked down at himself, a surprised expression crossing his face. "I guess I'm getting old..." He looked at Calvin, his eyes hooded. "So are you." Calvin's face twisted and he glanced down at himself as well.

"Hobbes, listen – Susie is moving!"

"Yeah, I heard your parents talking about it."

"And you never told me?" He demanded in an outraged tone. This time, Hobbes gave no response, turning back to the window. Letting out a disgusted snort, Calvin threw himself on the bed and closed his eyes as he pressed his cheek to the pillow. He felt his friend shift and come to lie on his back. "...She hugged and kissed me goodbye and said she liked me."

"You always liked her, too." There was a brief pause. "You're my best friend, Calvin."

Smiling, he answered, "Yeah, you're my best friend, too." Words were lost after that as Calvin dozed off, drifting through the lazy, warm weather. Summer had just ended and soon autumn would come. The leaves were already beginning to colour from their natural green. After awhile, the wind that was guided through his window turned a bit cooler and he opened his eyes as it caressed his cheek. "Hobbes?" He queried with a yawn. He sat up and stared, bemused, at the stuffed tiger that lay uselessly on the bed. His heart soared with fright at seeing this immaculate object that did not resemble his friend in any way.

_This isn't Hobbes, _he told himself firmly. _This is just a joke. Hobbes is a live tiger, not this stuffed animal! _He took the stuffed animal and held it up to his face, his gaze stroking the worn fabric of it. His eyes locked with the plastic ones of the tiger's and he could see a dying spark that reminded him of his friend. His nails dug into the back of it and he slumped onto his bed, curling up with the stuffed tiger in his arms.

"Noooo," he moaned helplessly. _I can't lose my best friend, not when I'm going to lose Susie, too! _He stopped himself before that thought could go further. "Hobbes," he whimpered to himself.

"_In the _short _term, it would make me happy to go play outside. In the _long _term, it would make me happier to do well at school and become successful. But in the _very_ long term, I know which will make better memories..."_

_Finis_

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DIS: The quote at the end is from the comic collection, _It's A Magical World._ I am glad that the Calvin and Hobbes comics never actually came to this point and only exists in fanfiction...It depresses me. Sorry that it was so brief, it was an of-the-moment kind of thing. Please leave a review telling me how I did! Ciao!


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